Feasibility test on telematics units produced by the world's leading supplier proves that the eCall automatic emergency call system can save lives on Europe's roads.

Frankfurt am Main/Berlin, June 5, 2007. eCall, the automatic emergency call system already being successfully used in the United States, can also bring its life-saving potential to bear in Europe. That was the finding of a feasibility test managed by the ADAC e. V. in Germany, Austria and Italy that involved equipping Opel test vehicles with eCall units produced by the international automotive supplier Continental Automotive Systems so that they could transmit simulated emergency calls. The test investigated whether the automatic transmission of an emergency signal and the crashed vehicle's positional data can speed up the emergency services' response time by the so-called "golden minute", which can mean the difference between life and death when they reach the scene of the accident. Continental Automotive Systems is the world's leading supplier of telematics applications and emergency call modules. Working closely with car manufacturers, mobile-phone network operators and many other interested parties, the company has been driving forward the (E112) eCall initiative that aims to harmonize system requirements for the European market so that this technology will be available to every buyer of a new car by 2010.

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For the past ten years or so, Continental Automotive Systems has been manufacturing and supplying eCall units for the American market that enhance the existing navigation and telephone software and are integrated into the vehicle's electronics architecture. In addition to its expertise in software and hardware integration, the company has therefore been able to demonstrate its ability to design modules that are sufficiently robust that they function properly even after the car has overturned or suffered a particularly serious collision. Its portfolio includes eCall units that either use a fixed GSM module or can communicate wirelessly with a mobile phone.

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Exact positional data and good speech quality speed up emergency services' response
Once an airbag has been activated or an emergency call has been manually triggered after the eCall button has been pressed, the module at a rescue-services control center reports the crashed car's position via the mobile-phone network. The position is located by GPS. This took less than 35 seconds in 94 percent of all tests. In 83 percent of the 834 emergency calls simulated during the feasibility test, the positioning accuracy was better than 30 meters, and in a further 15 percent of cases it was better than 100 meters. The system therefore meets all technical requirements of the eCall Driving Group and enables help to be provided quickly and effectively, even at night-time and on difficult terrain. In over 80 percent of test emergency calls, the speech quality was good even when the GSM signal was poor, despite the fact that many test e-calls were deliberately made from a difficult environment (tunnels, multistory car parks, dense woodland etc.). A larger number of mobile-phone masts could further improve this impressive rate.

"We already know from the American market that eCall saves lives. We are therefore investing all our expertise in the European eCall initiative so that automatic emergency calls can become reality here as soon as possible. The EU Commission reckons that this could save 2,500 lives a year. There could be no more impressive a way of demonstrating the effect of the "golden minute" by which eCall speeds up the emergency services' response times", stressed Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, managing director of Continental Automotive Systems and member of the Executive Board of Continental AG, commenting on his company's commitment to this European Community project.

The Continental Corporation is a leading automotive supplier of brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers. In 2006 the corporation realized sales of EUR14.9 billion. It has a worldwide workforce of around 87,000.

As a worldwide leading technology partner to the automotive industry, the Automotive Systems Division of Continental AG integrates extensive know-how and uncompromising quality in the fields of driving safety, embedded telematics and hands-free communication systems, powertrain and comfort. In 2006 the Division achieved sales of approx. EUR6 billion with a workforce of more than 30,000. Continental Automotive Systems develops and produces electronic and hydraulic brake, stability and chassis control systems, electronic air suspension systems, sensors, engine management and transmission control systems, hybrid drives, cooling fan modules, body and security electronics and also is the industry leader of embedded telematics and communication systems in vehicles.